Cardboard voting booth and blank



y 30, 1967 R. J. BROWN 3,322,478

CARDBOARD VOTING BOOTH AND BLANK 7 Filed Feb. 12, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig5 BY 94mm May 30, 1967 R. J. BROWN CARDBOARD VOTING BOOTH AND BLANK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 12, 1965 0 6 3 4 3 d 3 2 M 2 3 .m -H F 4| m H 2 a F lg 2 Fig 7 IN VENTOR. dog

United States Patent 3,322,478 CARDBOARD VUTENG BQQTH AND BLANK Robert J. Brown, Little Rock, Arie, assignor to Election Research Council, Inc., a corporation of Arkansas Filed Feb. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 432,363 7 Claims. (Cl. 312-239) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A voting booth constructed of corrugated cardboard material and the cardboard blank strips from which the voting booth is constructed to enable the voting booth to be easily and quickly set up at a polling place to accommodate voters in an expeditious manner when marking their ballots and which can be easily disassembled and folded into a compact condition for storage in a relatively small area after the voting has been completed thereby enabling the polling place to be used for other purposes. The voting booth includes a shelf supported from a pair of supporting columns to provide a rigid support for the shelf so that ballots may be properly marked and the voting booth also includes a curtain having swinging doors constructed of cardboard to conceal the interior of the voting booth.

The present invention generally relates to a voting booth and more particularly to a cardboard voting booth and a blank therefor.

Voting locations frequently are found in schools, fire houses and other public places. Since these locations are used for voting only from time to time and are primarily used for other services it is impractical to construct permanent voting booths at these locations. As a rule, the voting booths are used only for one or a few days and then are not in use for a substantial time thereafter. Sometimes voting booths have to be dismantled during normal Working hours and set up again in the evening. The frequent setting up and tearing down of voting booths when so used requires a voting booth construction which may be easily set up and placed on location and which may be easily dismantled and stored out of the way.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a lightweight voting booth which may be moved about easily by workmen.

A further object is to provide a lightweight voting booth which may be dismantled and knocked down to a simplified form so that voting booth may be stored easily and without taking up much space.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a blank of cardboard having fold lines and cut-outs therein so that the blank may be folded to form a voting booth. One advantage of the blank is that it is easily stored and shipped until its use is required at which time it may simply be folded in a prescribed manner to form a voting booth.

Another object of this invention is to provide a voting booth that is simple in construction, easy to use, effective and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention when assembled and showing one of the front flaps on the curtain in raised position;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the voting booth in assembled arrangement;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the booth taken along section line 3-3 of FIG. 2, and showing the writing shelf and curtain in cross-section;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the voting booth taken along section line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the voting booth;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the invention showing portions removed to better show the construction; and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the blanks used to form the voting booth of the present invention and showing the various cut and bend lines required on the blanks to construct the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1 an assembled voting booth is shown comprising the voting booth 10, the booth shelf 20, and booth curtain 30.

The voting booth has sides 11, 11', a back 12 and two supporting columns 13, 13'. Reinforcing tabs 14 are provided along the bottom and top of the booth. Two such reinforcing tabs are found on each side of the booth. These tabs are folded back onto the voting booth proper and stapled to give the voting booth rigidity. The columns 13, 13' are formed from the sides and back of the voting booth by cutting along prescribed lines on the booth blank and bending the columns inwardly therefrom to form the columns as shown. Slots or notches 15, 15' are provided on the columns for engagement with slots 21, 21' on the shelf to provide support for the shelf and also to give the voting booth more rigidity.

The shelf 20 is bent downwardly on two sides to provide leaves or flanges 22, and 23 which press against the columns and against the booth rear as seen in FIG. 3 giving the shelf stability so that a person may properly mark a ballot and even lean upon the shelf without disrupting its situation in the booth. The voting booth curtain is connected to the voting booth by tabs 31, 31', which may be stapled to the sides of the voting booth. Two doors or flaps 32, 32 are provided on the voting booth curtain, and the doors are adapted to bend outward from the voting booth and also inwardly thereinto along inwardly converging bend lines 33, and 33. FIG. 1 shows one flap 32' bent away from the voting booth. Slots 34 and 35 are provided in the curtain and these slots make possible the lifting of the flaps as seen in FIG. 1. A tab 36 is provided at the top of the curtain. This tab when folded back double onto the curtain and secured thereto gives added rigidity to the curtain. Any normal fastening means may be employed to fasten the curtain to the side walls of the voting booth such as staples or taping.

Having described the elements of the invention, the manner in which these elements may be constructed from blank strips of corrugated cardboard will be set forth. In FIG. 7 the blanks for the booth, curtain, and shelf are indicated by reference numerals 10, 20, and 30', respectively. The blank 10' for the booth 10 is cut as shown with the necessary slots for the columns and tabs. The bend lines are indicated by broken lines and the lines along which the columns are cut away to permit bending away from the blank are indicated by solid lines 41, 41', and 42, 42. The sides 11 and 11 are bent towards each other along lines 43 and 43' while the columns are bent inward in the same direction along these same lines as is permitted by the cuts 41, 41', and 42, 42. The columns are creased along lines 44, 44 and 45, 45'. The bottom tabs and top tabs of the blank and also the side tabs are folded back onto the cardboard structure and stapled thereto or affixed in any suitable manner. Since the slots 15 and 15 for the shelf are precut in the cardboard material once the cardboard blanks are bent 3 as described, the voting booth is ready for the shelf and the curtain to be attached thereto.

The blank 20 for the shelf 20 is shown in the lower left hand corner of FIG. 7 and is precut with the slots 21, 21 provided thereinto as shown. The shelf is formed by bending the edges of the shelf blank down along bend lines 46, 46. Now the shelf may be set into the voting booth 10 which has already been folded to the desired shape. The slots 15, of the voting booth will be engaged by the slots 21, 21' of the shelf and the interlocking arrangement so obtained will serve to keep the voting booth stable.

The blank 30' for the curtain 30 is shown in the upper right hand corner of FIG. 7 and is precut with the necessary tabs, slots, and cuts therein as shown. The tab 36 is folded back double onto the curtain proper and stapled thereto. Tabs 32 and 32' are separated from each other by a cut 47. This cut 47 plus the slots 34 and 35 allow the curtain doors 32, 32' to be bent along bend lines 33, 33' which bend lines serve as hinges. The doors 32, 32 may be bent in either direction so that in effect they are swinging doors. In the event that excessive use should weaken the curtain and doors along the bend lines 33, 33' it may be necessary to reinforce this portion of the curtain with tape.. Tabs 31, 31' are bent at right angles to the curtain and then the curtain may be fixed to the voting booth proper by stapling the curtain along these tabs 31, 31 to the top front edge portion of the respective sides 11, 11' in the position shown in FIG. 1.

Now after having read the disclosure it is seen that the booth construction is very simple and is very inexpensive to manufacture. It may be assembled in a very few minutes with the simplest of instructions. Likewise it may be knocked down and stored, packed or shipped easily and rapidly. The voting booth is seen to be lightweight and therefore may be moved about or shipped with little difficulty. If the voting booth is worn out by use then it may be dispensed with and a new one provided to take its place since the cardboard construction is relatively inexpensive.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A voting booth of the class described comprising a booth having two sides and a back, said booth being made from a single sheet of cardboard, a shelf and a curtain, said shelf and curtain being made from separate sheets of cardboard, said booth being folded along the outermost edges thereof and said folds being stapled, said shelf having slots therein which are interlockably engageable with said booth to make the back of said booth rigid, said curtain having doors thereon which are. swingable in either direction along fold lines in said curtain, said curtain having folds at each side thereof connected to the top of said sides of said booth.

2. The voting booth of claim 1 wherein said booth, shelf and curtain are all made from lightweight corrugated board.

3. The voting booth of claim 2 wherein said shelf is an integral part of said booth when assembled, said shelf and booth having interlocking portions which give both the booth and shelf rigidity.

4. The voting booth of claim 3 wherein said booth has a plurality of columns integral therewith, said columns serving to give the booth added rigidity.

5. A blank strip of corrugated cardboard for forming a voting booth, said blank strip having tabs on its peripheral sides, certain of said tabs being separated by first slots in the central portion thereof, said blank strip having second slots therein arranged in pairs, lines connecting said second slots, said lines being cut through the corrugated cardboard.

6. The blank strip of corrugated cardboard of claim 5 wherein the cardboard blank is foldable along predetermined lines to form a voting booth.

7. The plurality of blank strips of claim 1 including a third blank strip of substantially rectangular shape having tabs on three sides thereof said tabs being foldable onto the body of said third blank strip, a triangular section cut away from the body of said third blank strip along the periphery of the fourth side thereof, a first slot cut away from the body of said third blank, said slot being located substantially in the center of said third blank, a cut line joining the triangular cut away section with said central slot, said cut line being completely severed through said blank, a plurality of second slots located along said fourth side of said blank, said first slot, said second slots and said cut line defining a plurality of doors in said third blank said third blank being foldable to form a curtain for said voting booth housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,329,731 2/1920 Veasey 527O 1,449,780 3/1923 Reinhold 52-70 X 2,299,766 10/ 1942 Rosenthal 312-259 2,522,561 9/1950 Blechman 312-259 2,711,677 6/1955 Stenger 9349.1 3,121,588 2/1964 Beckman et al. 297-1 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VOTING BOOTH OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED COMPRISING A BOOTH HAVING TWO SIDES AND A BACK, SAID BOOTH BEING MADE FROM A SINGLE SHEET OF CARDBOARD, A SHELF AND A CURTAIN, SAID SHELF AND CURTAIN BEING MADE FROM SEPARATE SHEETS OF CARDBOARD, SAID BOOTH BEING FOLDED ALONG THE OUTERMOST EDGES THEREOF AND SAID FOLDS BEING STAPLED, SAID SHELF HAVING SLOTS THEREIN WHICH ARE INTERLOCKABLY, ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID BOOTH TO MAKE THE BACK OF SAID BOOTH RIGID, SAID CURTAIN HAVING DOORS THEREON WHICH ARE SWINGABLE IN EITHER DIRECTION ALONG FOLD LINES IN SAID CURTAIN, SAID CURTAIN HAVING FOLDS AT EACH SIDE THEREOF CONNECTED TO THE TOP OF SAID SIDES OF SAID BOOTH. 